ARRIVAL OF THE EGERIA.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 99, 27 April 1888, Page 2

ARRIVAL OF THE EGERIA.

H.M.s. Egeria, the surveying ship which has been commissioned for the survey service of the Pacific, arrived, here about 10 o'clock last night from Sydney, after a finev/eather passage of ten days. Externally, the E_reria greatly resembles the Miranda, which did excellent service on this station. She is composite built, with a ram bow, and measures 160 ft in length, 31ft4inin breadth, and 13ft Sin in depth. Her displacement is 940 tons. Tho armament of the Egeria consists of four breechloading Armstrong guns and two Gardiner?. The big guns are each 20-pounders. They are broadside mounted, and are kept in excellent order. The. ship carries tho usual supply of small arms'and her equipment in other respect 3is on a most liberal scale. The Egeria has a complement of 120 officers and men. The officers' names are -.—Captain, Pelham Aldrich; lieutenants, C. J. Baker, T. H. Heming, Gerald, C. A. Marssceaux, Wyndham Richardson, C. E. Munro; staff-surgeon, F. Dunlop; paymaster, D. J. Thomson ; engineer, J. W. Bennington ; boatswain, F. G. Grant. The ship, it might be mentioned, is on her first visit to" these waters. She was built at Penfcggke in 1873, and since then has done gooWservice. Her present commission dates as far back as 1886, and the principal part of her time has been taken tip with surveys and marine sounding. She received orders to proceed to Australia at Colombo, and left there on September 7th. A call was mado ab Singapore and Batavia, and then thfe vessel proceeded to Christmas Island, situated about 300 miles south of the Straits of Sunda. At the island a collection of the flora and fauna was obtained and sent to England, the vessel spending 10 days there. She afterwards made for Mauritius, calling at the Keelung Islands en route and obtaining deep-sea soundings at distances of 200 miles apart. The greatest depth recorded was 3,090 fathoms. From Mauritius the Egeria made for Albany and thence to Hobart. Soundings were taken all the way from Mauritius, the greatest being 3,063 fathoms, or ,_ miles, obtained between Albany and Tasmania. The Egeria made a lengthy stay at Hobart, and both officers and men speak highly of the hospitality shown them by tho inhabitants. A start was mado for Sydney on the 2nd inst., and after a fineweather passage she reached that harbour on the 3th inst. Bub a short stay was made there, and the Egeria left for Auckland on the IG'rh, arriving as abovo.